Riding-harrow.



116.790.370. -PATENTED MAY 23.1905.

W. MERRILL.

RIDING HARROW.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov.5,1904.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 790,376. PATENTBD MAY 23, 1905..-

W. MERRILL.

RIDING HARROW.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov. 5, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses. Inventon g b9 I I yr l A limon/g Y No. 790,376.

Patented May 23, 1905` PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MERRILL, OF PARIS, MISSOURI.l

RIDING-HARROW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,376, dated May 23,1905. Application tiled November 5, 1904. Serial No. 231,565.

To all whom, t 77cm/ concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MERRILL, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Paris, in the county of MonroeJ and State of Missouri, haveinvented a new and useful Riding- I-Iarrow, of which the following is aspecilication.

This invention relates to riding-harrows, and has for its object toimprove the construction and increase the elificiency of devices of thischaracter. l

With these and other objects in View, which will appear as the nature ofthe invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novelfeatures of construction, as herey inafter fully described and claimed.

` to without departing from the principle oftheinvention or sacrificingany of its advantages.

In the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a rearelevation, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In the improved device is comprised an axle 10, having thebearing-wheels 11 12, independently rotative on the ends, and with adraft-tongue 13, connected to the axle by diverging hounds 14 15, andwith a platform 16 and seat 1 7, supported upon the hounds.

The harrow portion of the device is in three sections-a central section18, disposed between the wheels, and flanking sections 19 2O outside thewheels, as shown. The central barrow-section 18 is provided at eachcorner with a plate 21, having a vertical slot 22, and the Hankingbarrow-sections are provided at each corner with a horizontal pin 23forextending through the vertical slots. By this means the liankingsections are connected to swing upon the central section and at the sametime free to move vertically within the limits of the vertical slots.The harrow-sections are long enough to permit the bearingwheels tooperate between the coupling plates and pins, as shown.

The tooth-bars 24 of the harrow-sections are mounted for oscillation inthe inclosing frames ofthe several sections and are provided with meansfor adjusting the same to regulate the degree of inclination of theteeth, and as this vadjusting means is the same upon each of thesections corresponding characters are employed to designate like partsin each. The rocking tooth-bars are each provided with a bracket 25, towhich a rod 26 is pivoted and extended over the rear of thesection-frame and alongside a notched segment 27. Pivoted at 28 to swingupon the segment is a lever-arm 29, provided with a pawl 30 for engagingthe teeth ofthe segment and connected to the rod 26 by a link 31. Bythis arrangement it will be obvious that the rocking tooth-heads 24 maybe adjusted to cause the barrow-teeth to stand at any desired anglerelative to the ground over which they are drawn.

Suspended beneath the draft-tongue 13 and hounds 14 15 is a hanger-frame32, having a longitudinal slot 33, and the tongue 13 is likewiseprovided witha corresponding slot 34, the two slots to receive avertical bolt 35 for supporting an evener-beam 36, connected bydraft-chains 37 38 and 39 and 40 to the harrow-sections 18, 19, and 20.Pivoted upon the bolt 35 is the doubletree 42, to which the swingletreesare connected to provide means for attaching the draft-animals.

The central harrow-section 18 is provided with rigid vertical standards45 46, slidable through keepers 47 48 upon the axle 10 to provide amovable coupling means between the axle and central harrow-section.

Mounted for rotation above the platform 16, as by standards 49 50, is ashaft 51, having an operating-handle 52 attached thereto and adapted toengage a trip-catch 53 upon the platform 16 when in its rearwardposition. Connected rigidly to the shaft 51 are spaced disposed pivots62 63, the levers connected from near their outer ends to the flankingharrow-sections by cables 64 65 and likewise connected from their innerportions by cables 66 67 to spaced grooved segments 68 69, fast upon theshaft 51. The free inner ends of the le- Vers 61 are positionedconvenient to the hands of the driver upon the seat 17 and operativetherefrom. By this arrangement when the lever member 52 is operated andthe shaft 51 rotated the four segments will be correspondingly rotated,with the result of bodily elevating the central barrow-section 18 andelevating the outer ends of the flanking sections 19 2() or causing themto swing upon their hinge-joints for lessening the extreme width whenpassing through gateways or other contracted passages. At the same timethe flanking harrow-seetions may be independently tilted by operatingthe lever-arms 60 61 from the drivers seat if for any reason it isdesired to increase the inclination of either or both of the flankingsections. The degree of inclination of the sections is thus easilycontrolled by the driver from his seat.

It Will be observed that when the harrowsections are elevated from theground the chains 37 38 39 40, whereby said harrow-sections areconnected with the evener 36, will become slackened; but this slack willbe taken up by the forward movement of the vertical bolt 35, upon whichthe evener is mounted, in the slots V33 34. On the other hand, when theharrow-seetions are lowered into ground-engaging position the bolt 35 isfree to move rearwardly in the slots 34 35, so that the points of theharrow-teeth will be free to enter into the ground.

The outer terminals of the lever members 6() 61 are provided with hooks70 71, and the cables 64 65 are provided with links 72 73 for engagingthe hooks when the flanking see- -tions are elevated to hold themelevated while the device is not in use or when being transported.

By this arrangementit will be obvious that a very complete and operativeharrow structure is produced of wide range and flexible to cause it toautomatically adapt itself to the contour of the ground over which it isoperated and which may be adjusted to any re- `quired extent to carrythe flanking sections over obstructions or through gateways or othercontracted passage-ways.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed isv 1. Awheel-supported frame, a cam-bearing shaft supported for rotation insaid frame, a pair of transversely-disposed levers, a centralharrow-section and flanking sections hingedly connected therewith,flexible eonl'lections between the central harrow-section and the cams,flexible connections between the cams and the inner ends of thetransverse levers, and fiexi ble connections between the outer ends ofsaid levers and the free edges of. the flanking harrow-sections.

2. Ina sulky-harrow, a supporting-frame having wheels, a centralharrow-section disposed between said wheels, flanking harrowsectionshinged to said central section and disposed outside said wheels, leverspivoted above said frame and having hooks at their outer terminals,flexible members between said levers and said flanking harrow-sectiousand provided with intermediate loops for engaging said terminal hooks tosupport the flanking harrow-scctions in elevated position, and means forsimultaneously adjusting said central section and actuating said leversfor tilting said flanking sections.

3. ln a sulky-harrow, a supporting-framc having a draft-tongue providedwith a longitudinal slot and mounted upon wheels, a plurality ofharrow-sections vertically adjustable in the supporting-frame andmovably connected at the ends, a hanger-frame depending from said tongueand supporting-frame and provided with a longitudinal slot in verticalalinement with the slot in said draft-tongue, a rod movably disposed insaid alined slots, an evener-beam rotative upon said rod and coupled byflexible members to said several harrow-sections, and a doubletreepivoted upon said rod.

4. In a sulky-harrow, a supporting-frame having a draft-tongue providedwith a longitudinal slot and mounted upon wheels, a plurality ofharrow-sections vertically adjustable in the supporting-frame andmovably connected at the ends, means carried by said frame forvertically adjusting said barrow-sections, a hanger-frame depending fromsaid tongue and supporting-frame and provided with a longitudinal slotin vertical alinelnent with the slot in said draft-tongue, a rod movablydisposed in said alined slots, and an evenerbeam rotative upon said rodand coupled by flexible members to said several harrow-sections, and adoubletree pivoted upon said rod.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing asy my own 1 have heretoaflixed. my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

fl LLl A M M ERR] LL.

Titnessesz JOI-IN A. Barnum, EDWARD EATON.

